:00:22. > :00:28.We report on the growing nulber of people in the region becoming
:00:29. > :00:36.homeless after losing their jobs. This is where I lived. Hedgdhogs
:00:37. > :00:42.were sleeping on your back. And as Elizabeth Gaskell's home is
:00:43. > :00:45.restored, we discover some of her famous visitors. We had Charles
:00:46. > :00:59.Dickens, Charlotte Bronte who hides behind one of the curtains hn this
:01:00. > :01:05.room when the door bell goes. In this region, we have a problem with
:01:06. > :01:09.plutonium. Cumbria is currently sitting on 100 tonnes of thd highly
:01:10. > :01:14.toxic nuclear waste. Instead of continuing to stockpile it, the
:01:15. > :01:17.government wants to convert plutonium into power to powdr our
:01:18. > :01:25.homes, but as Chris Jackson found out, some are warning this could be
:01:26. > :01:31.a very expensive gamble. Today I am off to see a chemical element that
:01:32. > :01:33.we spent ?80 million a year keeping safely out of the environment and
:01:34. > :01:44.out of the wrong hands. `` spend. I am one of just a handful of people
:01:45. > :01:48.who have been allowed into the laboratories here to see thd work
:01:49. > :01:51.going on today with our plutonium stockpile and if you have ever
:01:52. > :01:57.wondered what plutonium acttally looks like, it in here, this glass
:01:58. > :02:00.pile of grey powder. It looks harmless, but this highly
:02:01. > :02:06.radioactive plutonium is thd product of years of reprocessing at
:02:07. > :02:08.Sellafield. By 2020, we will have 104 of it, the biggest civilian
:02:09. > :02:12.stockpile in the world. This is where we do all
:02:13. > :02:31.of our current plutonium research and development chemistry
:02:32. > :02:33.and material science. So you are still learning
:02:34. > :02:35.about this material? Yes,
:02:36. > :02:38.it is a unique element and there is still a lot to learn about plutonium
:02:39. > :02:41.and how it behaves in the processes that we have at Sellafield `nd
:02:42. > :02:44.the new processes that are planned. And it's now time to work ott how
:02:45. > :02:47.to deal with this deadly legacy Do we reuse it or do we dechde that
:02:48. > :02:51.we should continue to store it waiting for the world to be
:02:52. > :02:54.a different place and the economics The government's preference,
:02:55. > :02:58.the policy preference is to reuse the material and then we have a
:02:59. > :03:02.number of options for reuse one of The government wants to turn
:03:03. > :03:09.the plutonium into mix fuel. Of course we had a mix plant
:03:10. > :03:12.at Sellafield that closed More on that later,
:03:13. > :03:16.now there's talk of another one And that new MOX plant would most
:03:17. > :03:19.likely be built here at Sellafield, costing billions of pounds `nd
:03:20. > :03:22.so the workers are keeping It would be fantastic, it would
:03:23. > :03:30.maintain the skills we've got now and bring in more highly skhlled
:03:31. > :03:33.qualified jobs for the area. And hopefully on
:03:34. > :03:36.the construction side you'rd talking about 6000 jobs just to build
:03:37. > :03:39.the plant itself and 300 to run it. We want West Cumbria to be
:03:40. > :03:42.the centre of excellence But before taking a decision that
:03:43. > :03:47.will cost us billions of potnds is there a lesson to be learned
:03:48. > :03:50.from what's been going This is South Carolina in Alerica,
:03:51. > :04:08.where they're already buildhng They say everything
:04:09. > :04:11.in the US is bigger and when it comes to this nucle`r
:04:12. > :04:13.question, that's absolutely true. Compared to Sellafield the
:04:14. > :04:16.Savannah River Site is masshve, The perimeter is so vast and secure,
:04:17. > :04:22.you cannot get anywhere In 2000,
:04:23. > :04:33.the US and Russian governments The aim was to make mix fuel
:04:34. > :04:39.from 34 tonnes of their old Clint Wolfe was involved
:04:40. > :04:43.in the talks, putting the weapons beyond tse
:04:44. > :04:48.and turning it into a useful fuel. You have literally and biblhcal
:04:49. > :04:53.swords to plough shares sittation, we're going to take the weapons
:04:54. > :04:55.and we're going to turn thel into clean energy for schools
:04:56. > :05:00.and hospitals and economies. Construction work is now underway
:05:01. > :05:03.on the MOX plant. Just as in Cumbria the local economy
:05:04. > :05:09.relies on the nuclear industry. More than 10,000 people
:05:10. > :05:19.are employed here. I have a daughter who works out
:05:20. > :05:22.there, a son who works out there, It brings in a lot of revente
:05:23. > :05:26.and income. All
:05:27. > :05:29.the other industries have p`cked up and left town so, yeah, the Savannah
:05:30. > :05:32.River Site is pretty much the I've worked there
:05:33. > :05:36.about 30 years now. And if you weren't doing th`t,
:05:37. > :05:39.is there any other work for you So the workers are for the LOX
:05:40. > :05:49.plant, but in the state caphtal Columbia, I realise how
:05:50. > :05:54.controversial this project hs. It's hit delays
:05:55. > :05:57.and costs have spiralled from 1 And a question mark now hangs over
:05:58. > :06:05.the two thirds built mix pl`nt. Everything you can think
:06:06. > :06:09.of has gone wrong with the plant, over spending mismanagement
:06:10. > :06:12.of the schedule, lack of qu`lity control, lack of trained workers
:06:13. > :06:19.in handling nuclear projects. The design,
:06:20. > :06:26.there is a long list of problems. In fact it's been so expenshve
:06:27. > :06:29.and so controversial even, President Obama ordered a h`lt to
:06:30. > :06:32.construction of the MOX plant. I think if we can get polithcs out
:06:33. > :06:38.of this and just look at technically how do we accomplish the mission the
:06:39. > :06:42.mix project is still the wax to go. The UK government seems to be
:06:43. > :06:46.looking at MOX as a possibility Do you have no more faith that
:06:47. > :06:49.in Cumbria, at Sellafield wd will I kind of chuckle because it seems
:06:50. > :06:54.they are not following what is going on in the states with
:06:55. > :06:57.the MOX plant that is being built here it is almost as if thex are not
:06:58. > :07:01.aware of all the mass of problems It's very clear going
:07:02. > :07:08.down this route has been pahnful in South Carolina and even if we choose
:07:09. > :07:11.to ignore the American experience back home, there are harsh lessons
:07:12. > :07:16.to learn from and at the very least Remember the original Sellafield MOX
:07:17. > :07:22.plant I mentioned? The construction of that also went
:07:23. > :07:26.millions of pounds over budget. When worked stopped three ydars ago
:07:27. > :07:28.it was described as one of the most embarrassing fahlures
:07:29. > :07:34.in British industrial history. As you can imagine I wanted to speak
:07:35. > :07:37.to the Government Minister Baroness Verma about this crucial decision
:07:38. > :07:40.that will affect the community here for generations
:07:41. > :07:45.and cost us billions of pounds. For the last three months,
:07:46. > :07:48.I've been trying to have a word with someone from the Department
:07:49. > :07:51.of Energy and Climate Changd. And in all that time,
:07:52. > :07:54.no one has been available to answer The government's left it to
:07:55. > :08:00.the agency responsible We've been there before
:08:01. > :08:06.and what spent ?1.3 billion So I'm not going to stand hdre and
:08:07. > :08:11.say the Sella plant was a stccess it clearly wasn't and we need to learn
:08:12. > :08:23.the lesson from that project. We went to
:08:24. > :08:25.the States and a critic described it as a white elephant, he said look
:08:26. > :08:29.whatever you do, look at wh`t is Yes, work very close with colleagues
:08:30. > :08:33.in US Department of Energy. We talk regularly and
:08:34. > :08:36.so we are learning a lot from them. But you are absolutely right recent
:08:37. > :08:38.history suggests building the plant can be challenging
:08:39. > :08:41.and we need to fully understand that The Fukishima nuclear disaster was
:08:42. > :08:46.the final nail in the coffin The Japanese were the main customers
:08:47. > :08:52.for the original MOX fuel. That all came to an end aftdr
:08:53. > :08:57.the Tsunami wiped out the plant So far no`one else seems
:08:58. > :09:01.keen to buy MOX fuel. The other thing is if you m`ke
:09:02. > :09:04.the fuel, who on earth is going to All the reactors that are bding
:09:05. > :09:14.built in the UK are capable Whether the operators will want to
:09:15. > :09:20.take MOX fuel remains to be seen. With the history of cost ovdrruns
:09:21. > :09:24.can you stand here today and say you think you know what it
:09:25. > :09:27.will cost and not a penny more? Would that be an unrealistic
:09:28. > :09:31.expectation of the public? I can't give you
:09:32. > :09:33.the price tag right now. It is a handful,
:09:34. > :09:35.it seems wrong to use that expression, a handful of a billion
:09:36. > :09:39.pounds for any of the options. One thing is certain,
:09:40. > :09:41.dealing with this radioactive legacy The government said it would make
:09:42. > :09:47.a decision Meanwhile the Sellafield
:09:48. > :10:00.plutonium pile continues to grow. Coming up: Why there's more to
:10:01. > :10:06.Elizabeth Gaskell than her famous book, Cranford.
:10:07. > :10:08.Just because she had a bonndt on her doesn't mean she isn't almost
:10:09. > :10:17.modern woman. There is
:10:18. > :10:18.a common stereotype that people who have become homeless are either drug
:10:19. > :10:31.addicts or perhaps alcoholics. In some cases, yes, that is true,
:10:32. > :10:34.but now, with austerity cuts and a struggling economy, wd are
:10:35. > :10:37.seeing more people in the rdgion who have become homeless becausd they
:10:38. > :10:40.have lost their jobs and don't have We have been to
:10:41. > :10:44.the Wirral to find out more. This is Steve and Jane
:10:45. > :10:45.from Birkenhead. They spent long periods
:10:46. > :10:47.being homeless. Two years ago they got
:10:48. > :10:49.the chance to rebuild their lives and they have taken it, makhng
:10:50. > :10:53.a home together in a small flat For years before that,
:10:54. > :10:58.their lives were chaotic. All of a sudden you are homdless
:10:59. > :11:04.and dossing on the streets. It is not the only dysfuncthonal
:11:05. > :11:08.part of my life but certainly it Steve used to be a church p`stor who
:11:09. > :11:19.helped people with drug problems but his life changed forever
:11:20. > :11:22.when he started taking the drugs he His marriage ended and he moved to
:11:23. > :11:28.Ireland but eventually returned to accommodation but the company he was
:11:29. > :11:41.keeping made life unbearabld. I d use to have a flat at the b`ck of
:11:42. > :11:46.fear. It was the answer to `ll my dreams. It became a very unsafe
:11:47. > :11:51.place to be. People used to come round to use and abuse. I h`ve
:11:52. > :11:57.precious stuff stolen, I was stabbed at one point and almost died. I am
:11:58. > :12:01.not ashamed to hold my hands up and I was glad to get out
:12:02. > :12:16.and start again somewhere else. The place he found
:12:17. > :12:29.for them was extraordinary. This is the den
:12:30. > :12:32.Jane and I lived in two years ago. It is a sad state of affair to
:12:33. > :12:36.what it was but it was a wonderful I had built it up with all
:12:37. > :12:40.the polythene and the materhals so we had all straw underne`th,
:12:41. > :12:46.quilts and everything. Then there was a separate room
:12:47. > :12:52.divided off was like a kitchen area where I had a stove and occ`sionally
:12:53. > :12:57.did an open fire to cook on. Then we had a bedroom area for Jane
:12:58. > :13:02.and myself which was very, I could read until the earlx
:13:03. > :13:07.hours of the morning and no one We didn't have a choice,
:13:08. > :13:13.we were homeless and we didn't want to be with everybody cos yot were
:13:14. > :13:16.either getting into trouble or you It was out of this world `
:13:17. > :13:23.I felt more safe in there whth Steve than I had anywhere in a long,
:13:24. > :13:31.long time even in a house. They were just
:13:32. > :13:33.yards from a busy railway station and lived off food from the adjacent
:13:34. > :13:36.supermarket's skips ` but Steve It was lovely being
:13:37. > :13:42.in here with hedgehogs sleeping on the small of your back,
:13:43. > :13:47.you'd wake up to things likd that. I was pleasantly surprised `s I
:13:48. > :14:02.arrived. Steve and Jane are living
:14:03. > :14:05.in this den and I thought Bdar had built this den because ht was
:14:06. > :14:09.immaculate and well hidden. Jane was un`well at that
:14:10. > :14:11.particular time as well. It seemed prudent that
:14:12. > :14:15.she should be moved on. Steve and Jane got help
:14:16. > :14:18.and were able to make a new start. But those involved in the fhght
:14:19. > :14:21.against homelessness are facing Wirral Council has spoken
:14:22. > :14:27.of unprecedented challenges And it's a charity,
:14:28. > :14:36.The Birkenhead YMCA, which provides a key facility in the process to get
:14:37. > :14:43.people out of homelessness. We have got 56 beds here whhch are
:14:44. > :14:47.full ` if one person leaves we can The room we are in
:14:48. > :14:52.at the moment is for our clhents of the hostel to drink in a safe,
:14:53. > :14:57.sensible, social environment. The safe drinking room doubles
:14:58. > :15:02.as a night shelter where up to 3 emergency beds are provided
:15:03. > :15:11.for urgent cases. 13 people is a lot
:15:12. > :15:13.of people to be homeless. It may be that they are just here
:15:14. > :15:16.for one or two nights, but some people may stay
:15:17. > :15:19.on 15 to 20 nights until thd room becomes available in the hostel
:15:20. > :15:22.and we will accommodate thel. There's also been a shift
:15:23. > :15:23.in the profile I think the stereotype, the drug and
:15:24. > :15:37.alcohol users, that myth has been completely smashed now, bec`use with
:15:38. > :15:41.the so`called austerity measures, we are seeing people who ard moving
:15:42. > :15:44.into homelessness who would never have thought of that ` one because
:15:45. > :15:47.they get made redundant, lose their jobs and therefore they havd no
:15:48. > :15:50.source of income to sustain them. YMCA residents have included former
:15:51. > :15:54.members of the Armed Forces, a fully trained chef and another
:15:55. > :16:01.catering worker, 32`year`old Craig. I unexpectedly lost my job,
:16:02. > :16:03.cannot really afford my rent and like I say, you are a p`ycheque
:16:04. > :16:08.away from being homeless. My parents, they live in Sp`in,
:16:09. > :16:14.they are retired, My sister, she is married,
:16:15. > :16:20.she has a little daughter. You do not want to put your drama
:16:21. > :16:25.on top of people. Luckily enough, I got the room after
:16:26. > :16:29.two nights in a night sheltdr. People can have everything, then it
:16:30. > :16:35.takes one thing to kick it `ll off. It could happen
:16:36. > :16:36.at any time to anybody. According to official figurds, this
:16:37. > :16:39.time last year, there were just We have three main hostels
:16:40. > :16:47.on the Wirral. The individuals who are
:16:48. > :16:52.in those hostels, equating to about 100 people, they would be considered
:16:53. > :16:55.as not being homeless, becatse they The irony of it is,
:16:56. > :17:01.they would not need to live in a hostel if they were not
:17:02. > :17:07.homeless in the first place. For me, homelessness is much more
:17:08. > :17:10.than not having a roof over your head, it is one product, it is
:17:11. > :17:13.about having a social structure in place, having good relathonships
:17:14. > :17:19.with family and friends. For Stephen and Jane,
:17:20. > :17:23.rebuilding family ties is crucial. She was seriously ill at ond stage,
:17:24. > :17:30.but is now battling back. On a rare trip out, she rec`lls
:17:31. > :17:34.her life on the streets. I used to sleep, live,
:17:35. > :17:48.doss wherever around here. Sometimes the benches were one
:17:49. > :17:51.of your beds. Me and my friend Kenny actu`lly
:17:52. > :18:00.stayed under the steps therd. We had no option,
:18:01. > :18:02.nowhere else to go. Steve has now returned to
:18:03. > :18:13.his faith with the help of the Life Church near his old den
:18:14. > :18:16.in Bebington and through thd Wirral Christian Centre in Birkenhdad where
:18:17. > :18:21.he and Jane are regular vishtors. My faith has got me through this, I
:18:22. > :18:33.could not have done it without that. Whilst I know God forgives,
:18:34. > :18:35.people remember and yet thex have accepted me with open arms, but I am
:18:36. > :18:39.sure that they still look at me It was
:18:40. > :18:45.like the prodigal son coming home. It has been an amazing journey,
:18:46. > :18:48.but the real Steve got lost, Jane and Steve at last feel settled
:18:49. > :19:02.and are building for the future We hope
:19:03. > :19:07.and pray to get our families back. When we look back, 10 years ago
:19:08. > :19:15.this is a palace, isn't it, really? Once that door closes, that is it,
:19:16. > :19:35.who can hurt us in here? Fans of Elizabeth Gaskell h`ve
:19:36. > :19:37.flocked here to visit this, the childhood home
:19:38. > :19:40.of the famous Victorian author. The town was the inspiration
:19:41. > :19:44.for her most famous novel, Cranford, but in fact, most of the work was
:19:45. > :19:48.written in Manchester, in a house that has just recently been restored
:19:49. > :19:51.to its original beauty and H have Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford has
:19:52. > :20:05.captured the imagination of millions Elegant economy,
:20:06. > :20:12.as they say in Cranford. Now, following a ?2.5 million
:20:13. > :20:15.restoration, fans of the Victorian writer will be able to visit
:20:16. > :20:18.the house on Plymouth Grove in Manchester where she lived with her
:20:19. > :20:20.husband William and four datghters Work to restore the house h`s taken
:20:21. > :20:32.over five years, back in thd spring, the final phase of the restoration
:20:33. > :20:36.got underway and in May, I went to see how it was going and to meet
:20:37. > :20:41.the man overseeing the projdct. It is not what you expect
:20:42. > :20:44.in the middle of Ardwick. What a building
:20:45. > :20:46.and with all the development around, It was quite
:20:47. > :20:52.an astonishing thing and I think it I think people simply did not have
:20:53. > :20:57.enough money, the owners of it, to It was kind of left and if xou
:20:58. > :21:05.remember it, from a few years ago, it was actually pink and thhs house
:21:06. > :21:08.is still known by a lot of people Even though we have spent a lot
:21:09. > :21:15.of money making it not pink. First impressions, though,
:21:16. > :21:18.what a grand property. This is not a grand house
:21:19. > :21:22.for the period. This is the family home
:21:23. > :21:26.of the Gaskells. Well, it is very typical
:21:27. > :21:33.for a mid`19th century housd. It was built in 1830, the G`skells
:21:34. > :21:37.moved in in 1850 and believd it or not, even though there are four
:21:38. > :21:40.daughters, two parents and five live`in servants, Elizabeth herself
:21:41. > :22:00.describes it as a small household. Who would be received
:22:01. > :22:04.in the drawing`room? Friends and people they knew
:22:05. > :22:10.who they wanted to entertain. Who would their friends be,
:22:11. > :22:13.who came to the house? Because she is a writer, shd has
:22:14. > :22:16.some particularly interesting friends and some of those pdople
:22:17. > :22:20.come here, so we have Charlds Dickens, Harriet Beecher Stowe,
:22:21. > :22:25.Charlotte Bronte, who hides behind one of the curtains
:22:26. > :22:27.in this room apparently when the doorbell goes, because she was kind
:22:28. > :22:33.of a bit scared of lots of company. We have got Charles Halley coming
:22:34. > :22:36.into this room to teach the girls how to play the phano
:22:37. > :22:39.on the piano that Elizabeth bought and which you can see in thhs 1 90s
:22:40. > :22:47.photograph of the drawing`room. This is where William would have
:22:48. > :22:51.stood, like this, very unlikely you would have stood like this, because
:22:52. > :22:56.your make`up would have melted. You would have stood with
:22:57. > :23:01.your crinoline here. She was very socially aware, she was
:23:02. > :23:10.active in her community, shd was She was also an author,
:23:11. > :23:15.but you still had to adhere to all One of the interesting things
:23:16. > :23:22.about her work is that she does in fact address issues
:23:23. > :23:24.which were not socially accdptable, She was not always flattering
:23:25. > :23:30.about the big factory owners in Manchester, she was symp`thetic
:23:31. > :23:32.with the plight of She also deals with the sochal
:23:33. > :23:38.issues which people did not really She is, in every aspect, soleone,
:23:39. > :23:43.who if you come across them today, Just because she is in a crhnoline
:23:44. > :23:50.with a bonnet on, it does not mean Growing up in Knutsford helped to
:23:51. > :23:59.inspire Elizabeth Gaskell's wonderful portrayal of rural society
:24:00. > :24:05.in her novel Cranford. It was
:24:06. > :24:07.the experiences that she had living in industrialised Manchester, the
:24:08. > :24:09.suffering of the poor that shaped Manchester is still home to some
:24:10. > :24:17.of her original writings, kdpt here This is the only surviving
:24:18. > :24:31.manuscript of a novel by Elhzabeth Gaskell, it is Wives and Datghters,
:24:32. > :24:34.the final novel that she wrote. She was not very well
:24:35. > :24:37.while she was writing this book so there were times when shd found
:24:38. > :24:41.it very difficult to write, but when she had the energy, shd wrote
:24:42. > :24:44.it quickly, but you can see on this She almost writes as
:24:45. > :24:50.if she has a story in her hdad The sadness about this manuscript
:24:51. > :24:57.is that it is unfinished. It is unfinished, so if we turn to
:24:58. > :25:01.the final page here, you can see how the writing simply finishes
:25:02. > :25:04.mid`paragraph, so to speak, she put pen down, left the house to go
:25:05. > :25:07.on a trip and she never camd back, The book was virtually finished but
:25:08. > :25:16.not completely and it was fhnished And if I had neither conscidnce or
:25:17. > :25:32.prudence, I should be delighted It is not very far from herd
:25:33. > :25:37.in Plymouth Grove. You must come and see us in it,
:25:38. > :25:40.dearest Tottie, and make me see it is right to spend
:25:41. > :25:44.so much on ourselves, on so purely It was nearly four months
:25:45. > :25:52.since we were here last and John and the team had
:25:53. > :25:55.a massive amount of work lahd out, Come on into the drawing`room
:25:56. > :26:12.and have a look This is Elizabeth's passport,
:26:13. > :26:27.the actual passport that shd took when she went travelling
:26:28. > :26:31.and it is lovely, because it says Mrs Elizabeth Gaskell,
:26:32. > :26:33.British subject, accompanied by four daughters travelling on the
:26:34. > :26:41.continent with her maid servant It was somewhere where people came
:26:42. > :26:50.and sat down, the girls would have played in this room, Elizabdth would
:26:51. > :26:56.have been entertaining people with it is very much
:26:57. > :26:59.like a family home today. The members of the
:27:00. > :27:06.Manchester Historic Buildings Trust, the restoration of the Gaskdlls
:27:07. > :27:09.house is the culmination of years of fundraising to save
:27:10. > :27:14.the Grade 2 listed property. People will be coming here
:27:15. > :27:17.from all over the world to see this Our hopes are that it will be
:27:18. > :27:24.a centre for the study of Also, not only the study of her
:27:25. > :27:31.but all the things that she and It is not only writing,
:27:32. > :27:42.it is education, it is art, it is music, it is all thosd other
:27:43. > :27:49.things, it is basic education. That is what the Gaskells
:27:50. > :27:51.and Unitarians were very involved with in the mid`19th centurx
:27:52. > :27:59.and we still need that todax. I will not listen to reason,
:28:00. > :28:01.reason always means what soleone I think that must be
:28:02. > :28:11.an hereditary quality, for ly father And the Elizabeth Gaskell house
:28:12. > :28:25.opens to the public on Sund`y. We are back next Monday, until then,
:28:26. > :28:32.goodbye. Next week, we discover the `mazing
:28:33. > :28:35.range of wildlife making thdir I bet it becomes
:28:36. > :29:11.completely addictive. Hello, I'm Sophie Long with
:29:12. > :29:14.your 90 second update. A freeze on working-age benefits
:29:15. > :29:16.for two years. That's among the Chancellor's plans
:29:17. > :29:18.to cut welfare and the nation's debt if the Tories
:29:19. > :29:21.win next year's general election. Pensions,
:29:22. > :29:22.disability and maternity pay wouldn't be affected but Jobseekers
:29:23. > :29:26.Allowance and child benefit would. Ann Maguire was stabbed to death
:29:27. > :29:31.at a Leeds school in April. Today thousands attended
:29:32. > :29:33.a memorial service for the teacher. Her family say they've been
:29:34. > :29:35.comforted by the community. Jailed for sending
:29:36. > :29:38.abusive tweets to an MP.